As a single mom or dad, you have had your fair share of love and heartbreak. It’s entirely understandable that you might not be in the biggest hurry to get back into the dating scene.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have someone walking with you through what is undeniably a difficult journey. Who knows, you might find a guy to unwind with after a long day of being supermom. Or you might even find a great woman to settle down and raise your kids with.
Either way, you have a lot to gain by giving love another chance. One of the best ways to start your search is by trying online dating. Here are eight dating apps and online dating sites for single parents that you should look into.
8 Best Single Parent Dating Sites
Single Parents Match
It is a legendary dating site for single moms and dads as it was the very first of its kind. Its main goal is to offer single parents a second chance at love and they have been doing that for 16 years! Being the leading site in this niche for so long is no small feat.
So, what makes the site so unique? The answer is simple: the company is dedicated to ensuring that your dating experience is as smooth and enjoyable as possible, given the circumstances. They do this by offering cool features like forums, online chats, and informative articles.
They also offer date ideas that would work for you as a single parent. All you have to do is create a killer profile and wait for the winks to stream in. That part of the site is free, but if you wish to access more features, you should sign up for their paid gold package.
eHarmony
eHarmony is another general dating site that has proven to be quite useful to single parents. Unlike most other sites and apps where you do all the work of filtering and searching, eHarmony takes care of everything.
Your job is to sign up (through social media, such as using a Facebook account), which is free of charge and fill in their mandatory questionnaire. That gives the expert matchmakers an idea of who you are and what you are looking for. They then use the information to find the best possible matches for you.
It is the perfect setup as you get to specify more than just your desire to have someone ok with dating a single parent. Plus, you get time to do single-parent duties as you are not stuck behind the screen swiping and going through profiles.
Single Parent Meet
Single Parent Meet is another dedicated dating app for single moms and dads meant to expose you to fellow moms and single dads. It is one of the fastest-growing in this niche with up to 1000 new profiles every single day. And you can be one of these newbies throwing your hat into the love ring for free.
For the most part, it offers features like other websites, including unlimited searches and numerous chat options. However, they understand your need to maintain privacy for the sake of security. They offer this using their “ConnectMe” feature, which allows members to call or text each other without revealing their contact information.
Plenty of Fish
Strictly speaking, Plenty of Fish is not the best dating site for single parents only. It’s a general dating site with 90 million users (and 3.6 million daily active users) that has allows for filter searches for more specific matches.
One of the filters that you might find useful is the single parent options under interests. It exposes you to other single moms and dads as well as non-parents who do not mind your arrangement.
Plenty of Fish has proven to be very successful as a matchmaking option for single parents with this simple setup. A recent poll revealed that 44 percent of their female users were single mothers who also happened to find matches faster. You can’t argue with math.
Match.com
Match.com is one of the best free dating sites for single parents, which boasts of having the most extensive dating pool out there. They have had millions of users over the years!
In addition to their impressive numbers and many awesome communication features, this site is perfect for single parents because of the security features.
They have an incognito mode that allows you to hide your profile as you conduct your search. Once you find someone whose profile catches your eye, you can make yourself visible to them. It is perfect for finding single women and single men online!
They also offer a unique Zen Mode for more specific matches. Here you get to set up fixed criteria for your search then get notified when the system identifies the perfect match. That will save you a lot of time!
Just Single Parents
This is a niche site that is essentially a dating paradise for single parents. It has the common start-up procedure of how you sign up, create a profile, and begin your search all for free.
To get other members’ attention, you can send winks. If they are also interested, they wink back, and you can start getting to know each other.
Besides the basic membership option, the platform also has a paid package with additional perks like detailed search filters. These help you narrow down your matches based on your interests and preferences, increasing your chances of finding the perfect match.
With all this and the large dating pool on the site, you might just have your chance to get out of your single parent romantic funk.
Single Parent Love (Closed)
SingleParentLove.com is one of the best dating websites for parents as it is designed to cater to your specific dating needs. It is a part of the Cupid Media network, which is a company that has produced some of the most successful niche dating sites for single moms available today.
With Single Parent Love, one of the best perks is that you get a 3-month free trial. All you have to do is upload your photo and get to matching. If, after that, you are impressed and ready to take the next step in your search for love, then you can sign up for their premium packages.
At SingleParentLove.com, the majority of the singles you will be interacting with are fellow single parents looking for a serious relationship. However, the site is also open to singles interested in dating parents like you.
BlindDater.com
As a single parent, you have probably gone on a bunch of blind dates. This service is more or less the same, only that it is online. It is a general dating site that has been in the industry for 20 years, so quality is more or less a guarantee.
They allow you to chat anonymously with fellow singles on the site until you are ready to reveal your identity. It is literally like a blind date because you will not know what to expect until you meet them in person.
However, the security benefits of this setup are hard to ignore, making it one of the best dating apps for single parents.
Tips for Dating as a Single Parent
Putting yourself out there as a single parent is a huge step in getting back to the dating scene. Unfortunately, your unique experiences and responsibilities may make things somewhat complicated for you. Here are a few specific dos and don’ts that can help make your journey a lot smoother as you try and find love again.
Let go of your past
Something must have happened to get you where you are now. To move on and have healthy relationships in the future, you need to heal from these wounds. This will help give you a clean slate on which you can write a whole new beautiful love story.
Don’t be afraid to free-fall
As a single parent, your default instinct is preservation. You do not want to take risks as there is more than just your heart at stake. While this is true in some situations, when it comes to love, it doesn’t hurt to give yourself the grace to free-fall every once in a while.
Be honest about your situation
It is never a good idea to hide your situation from the people you are dating or even from your kids. Let them know what is going on and ask for their support. This will save you a whole lot of trouble down the line.
Don’t be too quick to get your kids involved
Your children are precious and impressionable and may not understand that not all relationships are meant to be. So instead of putting them through another round of disappointment, keep them out of the relationship until you are sure it is something solid. This doesn’t mean that you hide the truth from them. It just means that family dates are not a good idea just yet.
Look for a lover, not just a co-parent
Get to know the person you are interested in as an individual. Let yourself fall in love with who they are as a person and not what they can do for you and your children. Trust me, when you find genuine love, everything else will just fall into place.
Put yourself back out there
Whether it is a single mom dating site or one for single fathers looking for new moms for their kids, these sites are definitely worth giving a shot. You will lose nothing giving love another chance, but you could gain a lot and find the happily ever after you missed out on the first time. So put that feeding bottle or chores schedule down, set up a profile, and give love a chance today!
